The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (best finance books of all time .txt) 📕

‘Okay.’

‘Tonight we have three new units arriving.’

‘What time?’

‘The usual, early hours.’

That was a bummer so far as Brinton was concerned, because he had a snooker match fixed up at the local social club, but that couldn’t be helped.

‘Let’s hope they’re better than the last lot.’

Pryce nodded. ‘I’ll be in at 9am, I’ll inspect them then, if they’re any good they’ll go to Manchester, if not, you can have ’em.’

‘I’m almost wishing they’ll be crap, we could use the extra bodies.’

‘Time will tell.’

‘Have the couriers gone for the day?’

‘Yep, half an hour ago.’

‘Get them back for midnight, here are the papers,’ and Pryce went in his desk drawer and fished out the papers for the new units, and set them before Brinton.

‘I hope no one ever sees these,’ said Brinton. ‘We’d be up shit creek if they did!’

‘Not going to happen, they are always handed over to someone else, or destroyed. I don’t keep written records like that.’

Brinton nodded, somewhat reassured.

Pryce sat back in the chair and said, ‘We’ve got something else on the go.’

‘I knew there was something going down,’ said Brinton, leaning forward, eager to hear more.

‘I received information about a UK unit who happens to be in great demand. Found out where she was, managed to get hold of her, not without some difficulty, I might add, and hey ho, I discover she’s worth a quarter of a mill.’

‘Good business!’

‘Yes, it would be, ’cept another buyer appeared out of the blue, and he’s willing to pay almost ten times as much.’

‘What!’

Pryce nodded. ‘Bound to be a bit of hassle from the snubbed ones, but that can’t be helped. Business is business.’

‘Course it is.’

‘I hoped to finalise the deal today, but we are still working out the minor details.’

‘Does that matter?’

‘It could do. This unit is a bit special.’

‘In what way?’

‘You’ll see, and that’s not important for now, but if the deal goes through, she’ll be going back to China. I had hoped she might have gone tonight, three in, one out, so to speak, but that’s not going to happen. It matters not, there’s a sister ship due in the week, should have the fine print sorted by then, she can go on that.’

Brinton nodded and said, ‘Where is the unit?’

‘In the pep talk room.’

‘I thought there was something weird going on in there.’

‘What made you say that?’

‘Dunno, just a feeling I had. Every time I walk past there I can’t help but look at the door.’

‘The buyer in China is a billionaire. Third richest person in that country, so they say.’

‘No problem with coughing up the cash, then?’

‘That’s the idea.’

Brinton wondered what his cut was going to be, and when he was going to get paid. Pryce didn’t always pay on the nail, and you had to watch him.

‘Big in light-bulbs, they say,’ Pryce continued. ‘In fact, bigger in light-bulbs than any other fucker anywhere else,’ and Pryce laughed at that, something he didn’t often do. Brinton thought it okay to laugh too, and when he did, Pryce stopped laughing and stared across the desk. Brinton stopped laughing.

‘The Chinese guy,’ said Pryce, ‘always wanted a supermodel all of his own, and now he can have one. Lucky man!’

Brinton bobbed his head, as the penny dropped.

‘It’s not that Barton brothers murder trial witness, is it?’

Pryce smirked. That said it all.

‘That’s going to generate heat!’

‘Maybe, but nothing we can’t handle. The Barton brothers should be convicted, regardless of any missing witness. Anyway, it’s nothing to do with us, and no one knows we are involved, so let’s keep it that way.’

Brinton wasn’t so sure, but didn’t say.

‘Do you want to see her?’

‘Sure.’

Pryce stood up and gathered his bunch of keys and headed out of the office with Brinton following, and in the next moment he was opening the first set of doors into the inner hallway, and the door to the pep talk room. He went inside and flipped on the light. Jessica Stone woke up and blinked. She saw Brinton standing in the doorway. He stared down. He’d never seen a supermodel in the flesh before, and certainly not one strapped to a chair. What a ridiculous haircut!

Jessica wondered if this was the man, her man, so to speak, her new owner. She didn’t like the look of him, he looked mean, but at least he wasn’t old.

‘What do you think?’ said Pryce.

‘Very nice,’ said Brinton, though he didn’t sound that convinced.

‘Good,’ said Pryce. ‘Now that you have been introduced she will need feeding twice a day.’

From that remark, Jessica knew that this guy wasn’t to be her new man at all. That was something at least.

Pryce retreated to the door. Held his hand on the doorframe and glanced down at the floor.

‘Oh, and Brinton, empty the bowl, will you?’

Brinton glanced down and didn’t like what he saw. So that was why Pryce had shown him the goods. Brinton would now be expected to run round after her as if she were a baby. He sighed hard and stooped and picked up the bowl. Pryce turned off the light and Brinton came out and Pryce locked the door.

They retreated to the offices and Pryce said, ‘Are you going to ring the couriers now?’

‘Yes! Just as soon as I have got rid of this!’

Pryce glanced at the bowl and nodded and tried not to smirk, and said, ‘Just make sure they are not pissed!’ and he hustled into his office and grabbed his coat, and yelled through the building on his way out, ‘Have fun tonight, I’ll see you at nine!’ and then he was gone.

BRINTON WENT TO THE Gents and when he had finished he had a good wash. Retreated to his office and rang the courier guys. They weren’t too pleased at being recalled, but when they discovered they would be collecting fresh units, always a lucrative operation, they swallowed their annoyance, and promised to be back at Minstrel for midnight, and sober at that.

After that Brinton jumped on the computer